Newbie Reel Seat/Cork Question

[jaybo41]

Hi all, I've been lurking around FAOL for a while and finally registered here. So with that, HELLO everyone!

I'm calling on all of the experts out there to help guide me as to how to remove a reel seat and then replace that and add a new grip. I've been tying flys for about 5 years, but have no prior rod building/repair experience.

First of all, what's the best way to go about removing the existing reel seat? There is a plastic reel seat on there now and the cork has been removed. There are however reminants of cork stuck too the blank with epoxy. How can I remove those, or is that nothing to worry about?

Once the reel seat has been removed, what type of epoxy should I use to attach the new one and the new grip?

If there are any suggestions that you have as for tools...and I've got no rod building tools but a decent supply of around the house kinds of tools...I'd greatly appreciate it.

Also, what type of epoxy can or should I use? Would something like liquid nails work?


I'd like to keep this project to a minimum as far as tools/materials goes.

This is a stepping stone I think for me because I've always wanted to build a rod and this is a good way to get into some of the basics.

Any intput that you have is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Jaybo

[ol' blue]

Try applying some moderate heat and see if you can get the seat to loosen. Don't apply too much so that you melt the blank. Boiling water would be the maximum I'd use.
As far as the grip, smooth it down as much as you can without compromising the rod itself. Try gently scraping it with a blunt item like a credit card or back of a butter knife. You can always ream the grip a little to fit as necessary, but you don't want to mess up the graphite. For epoxy, you can use 2 ton epoxy that is available at most stores. It will hold just fine and is inexpensive.
If all you are doing is replacing the grip and seat, you shouldn't need any tooling to speak of. A cardboard box with some notches to hold the rod is the only thing you might need. Other tools you need would be a rat tail file (or a reamer) for reaming the handle.
I'd recommend a preformed grip and a reel seat for your project. If you buy those 2 items, a reamer or rattail file and some epoxy (if you don't already have them), you should have everything to put on a new seat and grip.

[jaybo41]

Awesome, thanks so much for the information!

I've already picked up a reel seat and a preformed grip so I think I'm ok there. As for a reamer...can you provide more information on what it's use is? No clue what it looks like or how to use it.

Like I said, when it comes to rod repair/building, I'm a newbie I think this is a good small project though. I love this rod, it's got more sentimental value than anything, but it performs very well for the price I paid for it. It's a Browning 7ft rod, ideal for small stream fishing

Thanks again for your input thus far

[ol' blue]

You will need it to ream the inside of your cork handle out if it is too small to fit onto your blank. If it will fit down where it needs to go, you won't need to have a rattail file or a reamer. Otherwise, the reamer/file is there to make the hole in the grip bigger.
You will also need some masking tape to make some bushings for the reelseat.

[rodbuilder]

Plastic reel seats can sometimes be a problem getting off. As they said use heat but not too much. Also look for any metal pins that are holding the metal parts to the plastic and blank. Make sure these are pulled out or drilled out before you try to remove the reel seat parts. I have had some plastic insert seats that the only way I could get them off was to put it in a vice horizonaly and use a hack saw to cut down through the plastic most of the way to the blank and then very carefully using a chisel split the rest of the plastic but NOT the bamboo blank inside. You can only do this cutting with the hacksaw after the grip has been removed. I use a box cutter knife with the blade at about a 45 to 80 degree angle to scrape the blank free of old glue and cork. Just be careful not go go too far into the blank itself on each flat. You don't care what it looks like because you are going to cover it up again with the new grip.
As to the cork reamers, you can buy them from a rod building company. or just get a tapered rat tail file of the right sizes, working up from the smallest to the larger to ream out the grip. Just don't try to force it too much as the cork is brittle in nature and it is easy to break the new grip. Ream a little -try it on blank and keep repeating this until it just slides on the blank from the front to the rear. The idea is to make the inside tapered just as the blank is tapered from the front to the rear.
As for glue, I would advise getting the 2 ton epoxy (two part) that comes in push syringes connected together so you push out the exact same amount of resin and hardner at the same time. This epoxy gives you about a 1/2 hour of working time . Do not get the 5 min epoxy. It sets too quick and only has half the strength of the 2 ton epoxy. Clean up any excess that comes out when you fit the parts together with acatone (as long as the parts are not plastic),dampened rag. (use acatone outside and do not breath fumes and wash your hands good after. I have never had a part fail using this epoxy and I have been using it for over 30 years. I have tried others but keep coming back to it. Also it is cheep and can be found at wall mart and hardware stores.
I would advise trying to find the book Advanced Custom Rod Building by Dale Clemmons. It used to be carried by Cabellas, but Im sure you can find it on the internet. It is the best book I have found yet on explaining all the facets of rod building.

[jaybo41]

Thanks again guys for the suggestions. As a quick update, I managed to get the old reel seat off by boiling as suggested. Next I'll work on smoothing it up a bit to get excess epoxy off from the original. Now I'm waiting for the reel seat and grip to come in and will keep everything mentioned in mind.

Anything else that you or others can add is greatly appreciated! Keep the suggestions/tips coming!

[Joe Valencic]

IF you have any guides or a hook keeper or decorative thread wraps on the section you are working on, they will all need to be removed, because the grip follows the taper of the rod, with the big end at the butt of the rod. These surfaces can be cleaned as described above. If there is a guide, before removing it wrap some masking tape below the thread wraps, and mark a line from front to back so the guide will go back on the spine of the rod. The reel seat also will be aligned on this line. You will also need a winding check which slides over the blank and is seated at the front of the grip. These come in various sizes, so you will need measure the diameter of the blank just in front of the grip. You can get them in vinyl, aluminum or titanium. For what you are doing, you just need a vinyl on which costs about 50 cents. You will also need some "A" size thread to put the hook keeper and guide(s) back on, and some thread finish (Flex Coat Lite). You might also need color preserver depending how the wraps were sealed.

Post a picture so we can see what you're doing and we can better help you.

Good Luck

Joe

[jaybo41]

UPDATE:

Well my reel seat and handle arrived today and after reading everyone's suggestions I was anxious to get going. I picked up the epoxy that was recommended and a couple of reamers. I was able to get everything set up within an hour or so and it's now in the process of drying/curing.

Many thanks to all that shared information and provided information. I've don't have a good digital camera, but I'll see if I can borrow one to take a picture or two of my finished work. It turned out pretty good I think.

Thanks again!